Rik Rok

RICARDO 'Rik-Rok' Ducent does not appear to be a star -- dressed in sweat-pants, sipping fruit juice at Sugardaddies on Hillcrest Avenue -- but after a year of touring more countries than he can remember and being a part of the team that wrote the hits on Shaggy's multi-platinum Hotshot, he most definitely is!

Last year was a whirlwind for him; filled with appearances on every continent, concerts attended by thousands and performances on television shows watched by millions. While he could have chosen to go the obvious route, 'blinging' and revelling in his success, Rik-Rok remains humble and thankful for his good fortune. The secret to Rik-Rok's success was his fervent belief that he would make it big even before he was sure exactly where he would fit in the music business.

Ducent insists his success came mostly from his efforts to understand the business thoroughly and he spent a considerable time doing so. He also credits Nigel Staff of the Ruff Kutt Band with assisting him with making valuable industry contacts in the early stages of his career.

Early on, as a student at the UWI's Mona campus, from which he graduated with a natural sciences degree, Ducent was quietly writing songs but was far more interested in being a singer. He still remembers his first performance, at Taylor Hall's annual concert Countdown, but he admits that he "may not have been very good."

He approached Staff, who he knew from their home parish of Manchester, who was by then established in the business. Staff listened but was not immediately encouraging until Rik-Rok gave him a taste of the material he had written himself. The result was instantaneous: Staff called a taxi and they were off to the studio. It was at Mikey Bennett's studio that Ducent began to hone his skills and make the contacts that led him to Shaggy, but it was at Mixing Lab that it finally happened.

After Shaggy overheard Rik-Rok performing a song he had written he proclaimed "you know seh you bad" and a partnership was born. Ducent is effusive in his praise of Shaggy, who has obviously become a mentor to him. His writing partnership with Shaggy is made easy by its synergy, they often think of the same ideas when working on a song. Ducent also praises Shaggy for his phenomenal control of an audience and the high standards to which he holds himself and the rest of the Big Yard family.

The Big Yard family, headed by Shaggy's manager Robert Livingston, includes Brian and Tony Gold, Rayvon, Marsha and Prince Midas. Many of the artistes are currently working on their solo projects, including Rik-Rok, who is busy completing tracks for his own debut project.

Yet the road to Rik-Rok's stardom was not without its hardship, he readily admits that he "paid his dues" in the nine years it took him to achieve his goals. There was the 1995 tour, where he was a back-up singer for Patra where he juggled studying for his university courses with performing on-stage every night. He also had to contend with the turmoil caused when he was chosen to become the replacement for the Lukie D in the group LUST- the partnership quickly fizzled. He admitted that he looked to other avenues during his journey to stardom: at one time quitting altogether and getting a job and even looking to the internet as a source of income. His love of music, and a series of happy coincidences, however, kept drawing him back.

One constant in his life has been the unwavering support of his family, who stood behind him financially and emotionally through the lean times. It is this support that Rik-Rik runs to on his brief visits to Jamaica. He is a self-proclaimed "boring guy", whose idea of a good time is to drive home to Mandeville to commune with nature and his family.

Ducent describes himself as "not an exceptional talent but I have the ability to hear something and interpret it differently from most people". That difference will be seen in his upcoming album tentatively titled Proclamation. Christopher Birch and Mikey Fletcher, both of whom play in Shaggy's band, have producer credits on the album and Ducent admits to being "blown away" by the quality of their work.

Ducent describes the album as having an "R&B sound with reggae influences". Rik-Rok has his own formula that he is hoping will be a winner: he claims that he pictures himself as the consumer and makes "the kind of music that I want to listen to".

Rik-Rok has come a long way from the early days of touring with Shaggy. He easily admits to not knowing "where to put my hands, whether I should put them in his pocket or not" when he started out. He is still amused by the reaction of booking agent Yolande Rattray-Wright, who caught the Shaggy show in Atlanta three months after he had started touring, and was reportedly amazed by his progress. "When I saw that people who knew me from long time could see the difference in my performance, I knew I was doing something right."

While stepping out from behind the shadow of Shaggy is daunting Rik-Rok's own time in the spotlight has prepared him for the challenges ahead and he is ready to "make an impact".

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